VISITORS to a mall in Johor Baru had a pleasant surprise when they received dodol from a charitable organisation.
Besides distributing dodol, members from Persatuan Kebajikan Amal Sepakat (PKAS) also gave food for buka puasa and aid to about 32 children from three welfare homes in the city.
Its advisor Loh Kah Yong, 53, said the one-day programme started with them making dodol in 13 pots.
“We assigned 10 people to take turns to stir each pot.
“The whole process took about seven hours,” he said, adding that besides their members, they also had representatives from 21 agencies and organisations, including the police, Fire and Rescue Department, private hospital and Solid Waste Management and Public Cleansing Corporation (SWCorp).
Loh said the event, known as “kacau dodol”, was held at the carpark of a mall in Tebrau.
He said preparations for the event took nearly two months.
“This programme is a community initiative that brought all the races together,” Loh said, adding that the dodol was distributed to the public the next day.
After buka puasa, Loh and his volunteers gave duit raya to 32 children from three welfare centres.
Tebrau Fire and Rescue Station chief Muhammad Syahir Ikhwan Shuib said the event brought together many government agencies under one programme.
“It’s nice to see people from different races and agencies coming together to ‘kacau dodol’, it’s a rare sight, and it shows how tradition can unite us,” he said.
“Initiatives like this also allow the public to get closer to the firemen community, as our participation shows that firefighters are always together with the people.”
Muhammad Syahir hoped to see more of such events and programmes, noting that holding them more frequently could help strengthen racial bonds and foster close ties within the community.
